I had a child like that. She just turned 13. I always kept learning, art, writing materials on low shelves where she could reach them and sat with her to play or learn whenever she asked, took her to the library weekly for new books, explored outside (walks in the woods, gardening, watching ant hills, etc…), took her to live music performances, and let her help around the house. We didn't start "official" schoolwork until much older. One of the best things I did was start her in music lessons when she asked. Learning an instrument and "playing" with the instrument helped a lot with her perfectionism!

My dd just turned 13 last week. She wears make-up when performing, lip gloss or light lipstick, brown mascara, and sometimes a little tan eyeshadow. I occasionally catch her with mascara on when she is going somewhere. She has friends who are boys but last summer when a boy at camp asked her to "go out" she told me she asked him, "What? Are you serious? I am only 12!" then "I don't have time for boyfriends, Mom."

Jumping in a bit late but it's something I have thought about recently. When all my kids were younger, I had to consider the needs of all and where we live now was the best option for the family for a lot of different reasons…not perfect for any but decent enough, with a lot of driving, to meet all their needs plus my work and dh's work are here. I could not sacrifice everyone else for one child's needs. If dd were an only child, things might have been different. Now that the boys are older with one in college, situations are different except for the work parts of it. I often dream of places where we could possibly move to provide more options for dd. Not that we'll ever actually do it, due to work (I can't see starting over with my retirement at this point), but it's a nice daydream and I like to think about all the possibilities and their pros and cons. Good luck with your decision!

I married my teen crush. I met my husband for the first time when I was in 8th grade. I thought he was the most beautiful guy I'd ever seen. We became friends but didn't date seriously until he had graduated and I was a senior in high school. My famous crush…Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, and Patrick Swayze (I was a huge Outsiders fan.)

He has tried running the pro-tools on his Windows 8 computer and it acts like it is working then locks up every time he tries to open it. The computer is brand new so I don't think it is a problem with the computer itself. He called both Pro-tools support and Windows support, each of which said the problem was that his version of pro-tools would only work on windows 7 or lower. I'll have him try some of these suggestions and see if anything helps.

My ds was given some sound equipment (because our friend bought new stuff). The problem is that he needs to use an older version of ProTools with it which is not horrible since the older version is much less expensive than newer versions. Our problem is that this older version of ProTools will only run on Windows 7 or lower and he has a new computer with Windows (whatever is new but definitely not 7). I see Windows 7 for sale on Amazon for refurbished or computers people build themselves. My question is what would be the least expensive way for him to have a working computer running Windows 7? Thanks in advance.

I would have found it difficult to believe if I had not experienced it first hand. It is fascinating how some kids find their "thing" at a young age and are willing to work so hard on it.

Welcome to the reality of parenting a self-motivated, passionate child. My oldest at that age found out about club teams and wanted to join one. He studied work out regimens and watched videos of matches to study technique and moves he then tried out in practice. My dd did similar things with her music. For example, at 6yo she researched her favorite fiddler, found he was teaching at a camp 9 hours away then wrote her own letter for a scholarship at that camp (which she also found out about and then received). I didn't even know those types of camps existed at the time.

I have heard/read people complaining of both early music lessons and early sports training. I think what is socially acceptable depends on where you live and what crowd you hang around. Just like the recent debates on extra coaching for kids, I have often read debates on the best age to begin music training and how starting early (3-5yo) is a waste of money because later starters (ie. 6-8yo) will easily master the same skills so everyone will be at the same skill level eventually (not my experience). Over the year my kids have received training in whatever they want to try or excel in. Collectively they have done TKD, wrestling, football, dance, gymnastics, music lessons on various instruments, and soccer. Some activities have been short-term dabblings and others have stuck. I have followed my kids' leads in each. I have seen parents in both sports and music pushing their children and/or living vicariously. Where I live kids are very scheduled. Kids are rarely outside so there are no neighborhood pick-up games like when I was growing up. My kids are often scheduled, too, though homeschooling does allow them downtime to play outside or do creative things inside as well..

Yes, there are elite teachers and music schools where you do have to hire private teachers to be good enough to be picked to take lessons. It happens in everything and is just a part of life. There will always be people who have more talent, more opportunity, more passion, more money to invest, more access to better teachers/coaches, better location, put in more work, etc… Those who "make it" to the elite spots in (insert activity of choice) just happen to have the right combination of factors and have some luck/good fortune on top of that. It is a shame there are not more recreational, "for fun" programs around for kids. Wanted to add: I think it is wonderful when parents do whatever they can to help their child to follow their passion and I know parents who do seemingly crazy things for their kids (I could be included in this). It is frustrating when it is the parent's "passion" they are forcing their child to follow to the exclusion of activities the child might actually be interested in.

A French tutor was not in our budget but I did find a young person with 6 years French experience who is tutoring dd inexpensively once a week. She is also using French in Action, Duolingo, and "So You Really Want to Learn French." French was dd's choice for a language and she has been dabbling a bit with it until the past few months when we added the tutor who has helped her with pronunciation and helped her focus her study a bit more. Not sure how it will all work out.

My ds has taken two sound engineering courses.

dmmetler, your dd will be pleased to know I saved a snake today. It was caught in the netting we place around the blueberries to keep birds out. It was just a garter snake about 14-16 inches long. Whatever he ate made him too fat in the middle to fit through the netting. I am sure he will live happily in our garden as long as he stays out of the netting in the future.

We did the same in 2009. I loved every minute of the adventure!

Husband cooked... chilled grilled shrimp appetizer grilled hickory smoked salmon grilled beets new potatoes with fresh parsley and butter

We have a lot of the Great Courses. Dd really liked How to Listen to and Understand Great Music. We've also watch Human PreHistory. My ds used high school Chemistry. I have piles of courses for the next few years that we haven't watched yet. You can get them very inexpensively through Ebay.

We call string instrument creep GAS Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. My ds17 has it very bad…he buys and trades and otherwise acquires guitars constantly.

Thank you, everyone. I have been using the lectures for "fun listening" for dd for the past few years along with other materials (books, projects, etc…) but haven't had to think about anything as counting for credit. My idea was to continue this for her for high school. Thank you for the other suggestions. My ds decided in the middle of 11th grade to come out of ps to homeschool this past year. He is not as academically inclined as dd but enjoys watching the TC lectures and especially liked the photography ones. He started a blog with his photography (his way of making a portfolio) derived from course lectures but I was not sure exactly what constituted a "credit" or how much work needed to be done so thanks for that information. Judging from what he did in ps prior to this, it was difficult to figure out because it didn't seem like they did very much work in certain classes.

Thank you! :blushing: I enjoy reading about all the kids' accomplishments. There are some amazing kids here with amazing parents who encourage and enable them!

I did a quick search but didn't find anything to answer my question exactly. If you use Teaching Company courses for your high schooler, do you use them as a supplement or do you count it as a complete course? Would you count a shorter series as half a credit...say a photography course as an elective? I am beginning to plan high school for dd and was wondering how some of the lecture series (science, math, or history courses) compare to other materials available?

This. I have dealt with this very recently. Not with family but a person I thought was a friend. It does hurt especially because there are so few "safe" outlets.

If I were putting up with similar comments for a long time, I would probably say something (albeit sarcastically) along the lines of how great an accomplishment and what a wonderful parent she must be then leave the room.

This is so true! I work with developmentally delayed little ones and, to me, it is just as exciting to see a child take their first steps at 2.5 yo or with a walker as it is with an advanced child. Every parent should have a place to share accomplishments and "brag." Luckily, we have this place for parents of accelerated kids to share. This year after much discussion on the pros and cons, my dd made the decision to not play in an orchestra in order to have more time to pursue her Irish music. She grew big enough for a full size violin and recorded her debut album with her brother on guitar. It is being played and has been receiving great reviews around the United States and the world which is really exciting for the kids. (I just purchased them a map so they can put pins in for all the places it's being played…might as well get some geography in. LOL) We heard yesterday that fairly major publication wants to do a feature article on her. She also recorded on two other projects, one an album of Irish music played on clarinet and another was an audiobook for her writing tutor. For the audiobook, dd and her tutor worked together with dd deciding on all the music and creative sound effects on violin for the audiobook and they have done some live performances of the "book" for school children and other groups. She also had her first student this year, another homeschooler who she Skypes with (thanks to these boards), who sounds great on her Irish tunes! My ds(17) recorded, mixed, and mastered the audiobook and did the photography for the tutor. He has decided he'd like to go into sound engineering.

I would say an experienced teacher is preferable right from the start. Good technique and teaching skills make a huge difference. I had the "sweet lady down the street" for 10 years. My dd knew more music theory at 5yo than I did after 10 years of learning piece after piece on piano. I can read music but I never learned chords or scales or how to practice.

No, I stick by my statement. The FAFSA is a joke. It claimed our EFC was 1/3 of our entire (very modest, especially in our state which is the highest taxed state in the nation) household income leaving us about 150% above the federal poverty line after contributing that amount. We have a comparatively low mortgage, we have no new cars (all had over 150,000 miles), no dental insurance with a child needing braces, and we didn't own smart phones until after ds had decided he wasn't going to go to a private college. Silly us for working hard and saving a little money in the years before dh became disabled. If we had sat at home or knew how to game the system like a few families we know who somehow manage to get the American public to pay for their kids' education, one while driving a brand new Hummer. Yes, the cost of attending private school or a state school for that matter…also a joke. But you are correct…not an injustice. I could work full time, stop homeschooling my other kids, and stop all their activities that cost money (though we still would never have been able to afford Drexel). We weren't willing to do that. He went to community college. He will work two jobs while going to school and we will contribute the rest. I won't bother to fill out any more FAFSAs for the rest of his college and everything will be fine.